Humans' effect on Resources
- Burning of Fossil Fuels
- When humans burn fossil fuels, they do not only lessen the amount of natural gas, but they contribute to air pollution and the production of acid rain.
- The effects of acid rain and air pollution have destroyed and weakened many forests, effecting the amount of lumber that can be used as a renewable resource (Eco-Pros 2006).
- Global Warming
- The burning of fossil fuels has also lead to global warming.
- Global warming has many effects on the environment, such as the change in weather patterns. Changing the weather patterns could have disasterous effects. An area that annually had rain could be in a drought for many years. Such a drought would effect rivers and lakes, and the amount of hydroelectricity that could be produced from that source.
- Our water supply is very important because, "Today the rivers and streams of America furnish 63 percent of the water supply for cities, towns, and farmlands, 93 percent of the water used by industry and almost all of the water used to create electric power. Nowadays, the increasing water consumption threatens the reserve supplies" (United States 1991).
- New droughts would also effect the health of forests, which would lessen the amount of lumber that could be produced (Eco-Pros 2006).
- Global warming can lead to an increase in flooding, which could ruin crops.
- Chemical Spills
- Chemical spills can be so toxic as to pollute the surrounding water supply and soil so it is polluted for a lifetime (Eco-Pros 2006).
- Population Growth
- With the human population increasing 30-70 million people per year, there is a strain on the availability of natural resources (Eco-Pros 2006).
- Many resources such as water, crops, gas, oil, and electricity could be theatened to be used up.
- Clear Cutting
- Clear cutting is where whole sections of forests are cleared to make room for farmland or industrial space (Eco-Pros 2006).
- This destroys many habitats for plants and animals, and destroys the soil so new trees cannot grow (Eco-Pros 2006).
- Energy Consumption
- "With less than five percent of the world's population, we consume about one fourth of the world's energy resources" (Energy).
- Engery Use
- If we do not use energy wisely, the availability of these resources will not be here for future generations (Energy).